I keep seeing advertisements for Devry & University of Phoenix, but they seem to be everywhere, in every state. Are these actual universities? Do they have a physical campus, like say, a traditional university?
They seem ever-present. Are degrees from them considered valid?
And what does Devry teach? I noticed on some job postings, they will say, “No Devry grads”. Why do they hate devry grads?
Biased site that answers most of your questions.
Dunno about DeVry, but places like University of Phoenix and National University are certainly real, if not top tier. They tend to cater to non-traditional students.
I grew up in Illinois and wonder if DeVry originated there. It’s been around a long time.
For location it says “Chicago,” which seems to support my hunch, like that’s the HQ or something.
UOP is a “real” school, they target themselves towards adults who want to get a degree. They have odd hours and Internet-based learning.
DeVry is what used to be known as a “trade school” they are not a college or university; students can earn an AA degree in a particular technical field, like Air Conditioning or Electronics or Software. I have a very smart friend who went there. He does quite well as a software developer.
I believe the University of Phoenix is a real school as long as the student applies themselves correctly. Ironically, I hire systems analysts all the time and it is unlikely that I would hire someone with a University of Phoenix degree. There aren’t many reasons why except that most people in the U.S. are college snobs and the UOP is obviously trying to pull off fraud with their name. It has nothing to do with Phoenix, Arizona. They should have never attempted that and it cannot be supported.
Many prestigious schools offer online degrees these days and they are often considered on par with their brick and mortar counterparts. Sometimes the degrees even look identical for the brick and mortar and online students. Go with an online program with a reputable brick and mortar presence.
I beg to differ: http://www.phoenix.edu/contact_us/contact_us.aspx
Notice the headquarters location?
Both DeVry and the University of Phoenix are for-profit schools. Most other schools are not-for-profit institutions. What’s the difference? The for-profit schools have actual shareholders who care whether the school earns more than it spends. The not-for-profit schools, on the other hand, have a board of trustees (although they have constituencies; faculty, alumni, current students, parents of current students, etc.) and nominally are not out to earn a profit. Now, some not-for-profit schools have substantial endowments and attempt to earn a “profit” on that. (Heck, some of these schools seem to be a hedge fund with a small school attached.)
I work with a number of people who graduated from Devry, and most of them are excellent programmers. They’re usually their second degrees because they were switching careers, though.
I was surprised to learn how much it cost. It’s cheaper to go to Rutgers which was just down the road. I guess that you’re paying for the convenience factor.
From what I understand, this type of school is often geared to those who don’t want the whole liberal arts background. People say, “Why do I need U.S. history? I’m going to be a ccomputer programmer!” My nephew attended an art school and the requirements were less than you’d encounter at a typical four-year university, loaded with more art classes.
And some of these schools, e.g. UoP, cater to people who are working. They might offer more night classes, weekend classes, internet classes, etc. and a lot of their offerings are highly specialized to their field. A woman I know said she went to one here in Texas (Sul Ross) where they all drove in, got hotel rooms, and had classes all weekend. Then, back to wherever they were working. They’d complete homework etc. during the week. Sounded like a total grind to me, but her degree was honored when she sought employment.
I have seen at least one UoP facility; I know of people who have attended DeVry. So these do have facilities. I’ve heard they’re also very pricey.
If you read the Wikipedia article, it mentions:
In November 2000, Afshin Zarinebaf, Ali Mousavi and another graduate of one of DeVry University’s Chicago-area campuses filed a class-action lawsuit accusing DeVry of widespread deception, unlawful business practices and false advertising and alleging that students were not being prepared for high tech jobs.[28] The lawsuit contributed to a 20% slide in the company’s stock.[29] The stock has since recovered. The class was not certified and the case was resolved for less than $25,000 in June 2006. [30]
Overall I’m sure they’re several cuts above “diploma mill” type places. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of liberal arts background shows up. I.e. they might be good in their field but can’t write well etc.
The current Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, is a UoP alumna.
Heh. merry peters…
That’s fine. I could set up the University of Upper West Side Manhattan with a small office there to process admissions. It is still fraudenlent in spirit and that is all that matters. Plenty of real universities offer online degrees these days. Students should enroll in one of those if they would to be taken seriously.
There are accrediting agencies. My brother got an A.A. in Electronics from a community college and a friend got a similar degree from DeVry. They seemed to be equally welcomed (this was circa 1978).
*DeVry is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.[19]
DeVry does not meet the standards and licensing requirements in Alberta and New York State to function or advertise as a University.[citation needed] In these regions DeVry continues to operate as its former name DeVry Institute of Technology. In New York it is accredited as a college (similar to community college accreditation).[20]*
Fraudulent in spirit? Is it that hard to admit you were wrong and got corrected?
Shagnasty, can you please be a little bit more confusing? Your complete ignorance on this topic is not helping matters.
Yes, but consider her employer…
Normally a university is connected to a location. For example, University of Chicago. So scholars from around the world go to Chicago’s campus to teach, research, publish, and advance the state of knowledge.
Granted we have online – but even if UofChicago made an online program, it would still be backed by the campus in Chicago.
Whereas the university of ‘phoenix’ has almost no connection, besides perhaps administrative headquarters, to any specific place. Which is why I asked how legit the place is – why is it everywhere in the country?
I don’t think you are getting it. The University of Phoenix has a presence in lots of places in the country including the Boston area where I live. If they changed their name to “The University of Boston” as opposed the real, prestigious school called Boston University, I, and many others, would consider that fraud because it is obviously meant to deceive people that don’t know the area well.
Americans in general are college snobs and I can’t say that I wouldn’t hire someone with a University of Phoenix degree but it would be an automatic two strikes against them before we even talk. I freely admit that is prejudice but then so are lots of things in the hiring process.
I don’t know why you think I am ignorant about this subject. I used to be in academia at an Ivy League school. I am in business now so I can see it on both sides. We have had several UoP threads over the years and many people said the same thing as I did.
Online degrees are usually great especially if they are from an established brick and mortar school and they same label their on-line degrees as the traditional ones. My SIL and stepfather are both college professors and teach some on-line courses. The drop-out and failure is usually over 50% per course so I know it takes a high level of discipline to complete such of a degree.
I don’t know why you say that I am wrong or that I am not “helping”. It is difficult for me to be wrong in my responses because they are just my opinion. I never said the UoP is a true diploma mill. I just said they should have picked a better name if they want to be taken seriously. The rest was just a comment on how and and many others look at their degrees negatively because of those types of things.
Schools of this nature have been around for a long time. They include Chapman College (now Chapman University) and Pepperdine. These are accredited schools that offered education at satellite campuses back before the Intertoobs. The classes were taught by profs from local colleges and universities, and were very popular at military bases, where shlubs like me could finish out a degree program. Pepperdine even offered a Masters program.
Some of these on-line schools are excellent. However, one big reason for the fact that most on-line universities offer Ph.D programs in education: most school districts require that principles and superintendents have a Ph.D in education. hence the market for these dubiuos degrees.